The Intimate Hummingbird Collection: Into the Mystery of Sweetness.

THOMAS MARENT
The Intimate Hummingbird Collection: Into the Mystery of Sweetness.
Spring into a new season of exhibitions at The Art of Wild Gallery! Experience the intimacy and beauty of Thomas Marent’s images from his INTO THE MISTERY OF SWEETNESS body of work.
In many indigenous cultures the hummingbird carries symbolic meaning and is used as totem. It teaches to appreciate and love the miracle of living and helps to focus on the positivity in life. Hummingbirds are messengers of peace, similar to the dove in western cultures, and their powers can heal the body and soul. They are guides through life’s challenges. Hummingbirds are very independent and seem to have an unlimited energy supply. Even though they are so small some species undertake the longest trips, several thousand miles long. They symbolize wonder and beauty.

Thomas Marent is a Swiss photographer with a strong inclination for exotic birds. And hummingbirds are particularly difficult as a subject in photography. Get inspired by his subtle ways of bringing the beauty and personality of these birds to your eyes.
The Symbolism of Birds in Western Painting
Throughout history, birds both real and imagined, as for example phoenix, have captivated minds and phantasies of humans. On the one hand they are a familiar part of everyday life but their ability to sing and fly sets them apart from all other creatures.

Dynasties and empires have chosen birds as their symbols. Birds appear in myths and legends, and in many religions they represent even the human soul. Birds feature in every form of art, from early Palaeolithic cave paintings to the modern-day -birds are everywhere and they all have symbolic meaning.

A preening peacock, a playful finch, a hovering dove, a scheming vulture, a clever crow, a robin, an osprey -all are charmingly decorative to the average viewer. For painters of the Gothic, Early Renaissance and High Renaissance eras, birds were part of a rich visual symbolism. In a culture of restricted literacy, symbolic imagery was vital in helping to spiritually enlighten the ‘rabble’.

Narrative paintings, with their layer upon layer of vivid symbolism, provided instruction to the uneducated peasants who craved scriptural guidance. Origen Adamantius, an early Christian theologian stated: “If all things were made through Him, clearly so must the splendid revelations have been which were made to the fathers and prophets, and became to them the symbols of the sacred mysteries of religion."

Paintings throughout Western history have been used as guides in illuminating the divine mysteries of Gods Holy Word. Birds of every variety are prominently featured in painting throughout Western art history. Byzantine, Gothic and Early Renaissance paintings are rich in philosophical and Christian symbolism regarding birds.

An interesting book you could read on birds in art is: ‘The Bird in Art’ by Caroline Bugler.